Roasted Butternut Squash with Kale and Almond Pecan Parmesan

September 24, 2012Angela (Oh She Glows)

by Angela (Oh She Glows) on September 24, 2012

It’s good to be home.

Sketchie agrees, after a fun (but tiring) visit with his two furry cat friends. Luckily, grandpa put up with his antics yet again. I won’t go into the multiple accidents he had, but I’ll just tell you that I have an amazing, patient, and kind father-in-law. He deserves many of his favourite baked goods when we visit over Thanksgiving in a couple weeks. And possibly a 6-week spa getaway.

After a few rants and raves once home, Sketchie finally settled into his old digs, but unfortunately didn’t get the memo that we’re still on Pacific time. I have no idea how much coffee I consumed this weekend, but let’s just say my old friend, Bodum, is back to stay!

Back in Ontario, it’s clear that summer has come to an end. Trees are starting to change colour and my robe and slippers have appeared for the first time in months. I was so acclimatized to the amazing heat we had in B.C., I temporarily forgot all about this fall stuff. With bronzed skin for the first time all summer, I came home only to cover it up with sweaters and pants. The summer clothes are in a rejected, useless heap in front of the washing machine.

Since the weather was fitting, I consoled myself with grocery shopping and a healthy dose of fall produce. It’s good to be back in the kitchen, if anything!

This weekend was all about squash…and cookies…and coffee beans. Actually, cookies were the first thing I made, not that that should come as a surprise to anyone. You’d think I’d be aiming for healthier fare after vacation, but I had one thing on my mind: recreating the amazing cookie as big as my head. That recipe will be coming soon, but since it’s Monday and we’re probably trying to eat a bit healthier, I have a vegetable recipe for you today. Don’t worry though, I don’t do boring vegetables.

This recipe is inspired by the roasted butternut squash recipe I made back in 2009. It’s incredibly simple to make using only about 15-20 minutes of prep while the oven does the rest. This time, I made an almond pecan parmesan “cheese” and added Lacinato kale for green power. The result is a comforting fall side dish that will warm you to the bone.

5 from 6 reviews

Roasted Butternut Squash with Almond-Pecan Parmesan

Vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free

By Angela Liddon

This comforting and nutritious side dish will warm you to the bone! The Almond-Pecan Parmesan lends a crunchy contrast to the buttery and lightly sweet squash. Finely chopped kale provides a boost of green power. Trust me when I say that it's so good you'll want to enjoy this dish as a main course.

Yield4 side servings

Prep time20 Minutes

Cook time50 Minutes

Total time1 Hour, 10 Minutes

Ingredients:

For the roasted squash:

1 medium/large butternut squash (2 to 2 1/2 lbs.)

2 large cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 cup (37 g) stemmed and roughly chopped kale

For the Almond-Pecan Parmesan:

1/4 cup (40 g) whole almonds

1/4 cup (27 g) pecan halves

1 tablespoon (15 mL) nutritional yeast

1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon (5 mL) extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and lightly grease a large casserole dish with oil.

Peel the squash. Thinly slice off the bottom and top and then slice through the middle lengthwise to make two halves. Remove seeds with a spoon. Chop the two halves into 1-inch chunks and place into the casserole dish.

Add the minced garlic, parsley, oil, and salt into casserole dish and toss until combined with the squash. Do not add the kale yet.

Cover the casserole dish with tinfoil (with a few holes poked) and bake at 400°F (200°C) for about 45 minutes, until tender and lightly browned.

Meanwhile, in a mini food processor, pulse the Almond-Pecan Parmesan ingredients together until coarsely chopped.

After cooking, remove the squash from the oven and reduce the heat to 350°F (180°C). Remove the tinfoil. Stir in the chopped kale and sprinkle the Parmesan all over the squash. Bake for another 5 to 8 minutes, uncovered, until the nuts are lightly toasted. Watch closely so you don’t burn the nuts. Serve warm.

I can only imagine the antics Sketchie put your FIL through! Better bake up an extra batch of his favorite. ;-)

Is it wrong I focused on the “cookie as big as your head” part of the post? The actual recipe for this looks good of course but I’ll be waitin’ for that cookie! My baking gene has kicked in. The Mr’s co-workers are VERY happy!

Mmm, sounds perfect for the cooler weather! Leftovers would make an awesome breakfast, too. I wish my fiance liked butternut squash… the man loves pumpkin, but that’s the only squash he has any tolerance for. :/

Oh my gosh, this looks amazing!! I cannot wait to try that pecan “parmesan cheese” such a brilliant idea. I am fall crazy over here so anything with squash or pumpkin I am all about. Thanks for another lovely recipe!

Welcome back Angie! So that looks absolutely scrumptious, but what caught my eye was that darling fork that looks like a branch! At first I thought you put a branch in the dish to give it an autumn look, but then I noticed that it was indeed a fork! Where ever did you find that?

My boyfriend and I also love to go up to Whistler and are obsessed with the Zephyr monster cookie and have been talking about recreating it and were just talking about doing it today… so I am so excited to see your recipe soon and I think he will too!

“I don’t do boring vegetables” Oh you’re right about that! Love the look of your first homemade dinner. I always love getting back in the kitchen after a trip and whipping up something wholesome and warming. I’m still waiting for the Fall colours to come to Montreal. When I was in Calgary last week, they were in full affect… but we still have green EVERYTHING right now!

Was just watching the new Sarahfit video and noticed that you were mentioned! I’m just I am not the first to let you know but I wanted to make sure you did. I am always happy to see you mentioned elsewhere on the net, because you are so wonderful!

Mmm this sounds so lovely and comforting Ange! And welcome home! I am definitely feeling the warmer weather dishes these days, and have got soup/stew ideas flying around my brain like crazy! I hope you’ve been having fun recreating that cookie recipe… remember, it’s all about very thorough taste testing! ;)

As always, you have the most gorgeous vegan recipes, photographs and cat pics. Basically my favorite things! Thanks for being my go-to vegan recipe blog and for sharing your life and work with all of us lucky enough to be inspired by it all. And like you, Fall is such a magical of year for me because its Gourd Time, aka vegan pumpkin pie smoothie and muffin time!

A great recipe!!! 2 kids who said..we dont like butternut squash tried it and loved it including an italian exchange student i have here with us for a year. He was hesitant to even taste it..but he went back for seconds!!! I made a mac and cheese bites in muffin tins from tofu and the parmesan mix you have.. YUM!!

ps: I cannot wait to try your black bean and butternut squash burritos! I’ve never cooked with butternut squash and I learnt yesterday at the grocery store that pumpkin and squash only come in season mid-October here… waiting patiently ;)

a cool breeze is blowing into the UK too! I’ve started eyeing up the hefty squashes in the supermarket. Your BEAUTIFUL post has found my tipping point! The almond parmesan
is a genius idea to frost the sweet roast. There is definitely something about roasted butter nut squash that makes you go…ahhhh! It will be risotto time again soon too!

I love this recipe, but wonder how it could be made with less oil (as in nuts). Do you think it would be just as good with less cheese, or could I somehow make the cheese a bit llighter? Any thoughts? I really like this site and recommend it to many of my friends.

If it’s helpful at all, you really don’t get many nuts per serving – say if it serves 4, you’d only get 2 tbsp of nuts max.
Either way, if you want to lighten it up you could try grinding rolled oats to sub for half the nuts? Im sure sure how it would taste, but might be worth a shot.

I made this last night and I served it over spinach and brown rice. It was so yummy and the house smelled delicious after baking it! Thank you for this fantastice recipe Angela! I will definetly be making it again :D

Angela, I don’t really comment on many blogs as I just help my wife with hers. However, I have to say over the last month or so… your photography has gotten really awesome! I am liking the dark backgrounds a lot. Seems to bring the food out more.

This is amazing! Just made some with delicata squash (no need to remove the outer shell) and it was probably the tastiest thing I have had in months. Went with extra garlic and rosemary instead of parsley. Props!

I made this for dinner tonight. My husband said, “Please tell Angela this is one of the best things you’ve ever made.” I let my beagle Zoe have a couple pieces. She’s typically indifferent to people food, but now she’s pulling out all the stops to get more. This will be a Thanksgiving side dish for sure! You are a genius :)

I made this as you suggested, with half nuts and half ground oatmeal. it was fabulous. I am sure it would be even more fabulous with all nuts, but I keep my oils to a minimum. Thanks for this incredible recipe. i will make this many more times.

Hi Angela! I totally made this yesterday with a couple of cute little butternut squashes from my mom’s garden that were just aching to be made into a delicious dish–and the stars aligned and you published this post and the squash was delicious and everything is right in the universe. Thank you so very much. I feel like you are my flavor-soulmate!

I made this today during a squash cooking spree. IT IS AMAZING!!!! I love your recipes and recommend them to clients a lot (I’m a Holistic Nutritionist). I love squash and love finding new yummy squash recipes =)

I had my non vegan friends over for dinner last week and made them some of your delicious fall recipes. They were all amazed by the rich flavors and healthiness of all the dishes!

I started them off with my go-to appetizer, Spinach and Artichoke dip (so creamy, they couldn’t believe it was bean puree) and the Mushroom Walnut Tart (first time, my new fave app that I want to make for Xmas). For dinner we had the Butternut Squash Mac N Cheese (so delish, I finally just finished the leftovers today) and the Butternut Squash with Almond and Pecan Parmesan (also a fave that’s surprisingly easy to make) because you can’t taste the butternut squash flavor in the Mac N Cheese recipe.

You GENIUS, you!. =) Sooooooo perfect & hits all the right flavor & texture notes! The only thing I changed was that I didn’t have pecans that weren’t candied so I threw in just a few of those for a pecan taste & made up the difference with walnuts (to counter the sweetness of the sugar). Thank you for sharing with the world!

I did decide to buy it…I was intrigued. Dish is in the oven now and I’ll let you know how it goes…smells great. Looking forward to finding other uses for the yeast…! Thanks. (we’re not vegan but I’m enjoying the vegetables and other recipes!

I made this tonight. Though I omitted the nutirtional yeast and parsley, I added rosemary and parmesean cheese. I thought this dish was FANTASTIC! Ate it as my main course for dinner and didn’t even need anything else with it. I really LOVED it! Thanks for sharing!

I tried this recipe and it was SO easy and very very good! My boyfriend and I have started gluten free and I am 90% plant based so I was so excited to try this! It tastes very fall and we loved the ‘cheese’ It is very filling, but I also made some quinoa and served it on top of that. LOVED IT. Thanks! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes

Hi Angela! I’ve been using your blog as my go-to recipes ever since I had to cut out dairy from my diet a few months ago. This recipe was DELICIOUS! The flavors were great and really completed the butternut squash. My boyfriend couldn’t stop eating it hehe. Definitely going to become a staple in my cooking. Thank you!

I have made this recipe several times this month! It’s a great easy dish for our “meatless Mondays” which my husband usually dreads. We serve this up as a main course and I actually add extra kale. It is perfect for an easy dish on a cold night!

OK I thought the butternut squash and black bean burritos were my favorite squash recipe until I met this one! You’re right, the nut cheese definitely adds the “WOW” factor. I left out the parsley (not a fan) and added more kale, and also put it on broil for the last 5 minutes to crisp it up a bit. I could not stop eating it!! I will definitely be making this for Thanksgiving and I’m sure it will be a crowd-pleaser…thank you!

This recipe is amazing! I have made it several times and recommended it to a bunch of friends. I increased both the garlic and kale (personal preference)… my husband is amazed at how much the almond-pecan topping actually tastes like cheese. Home run!

Hi Angela,
I just hosted my first vegan thanksgiving for my family and made this!!! I didn’t change a thing and it turned out sooooo good. We absolutely loved the vegan parmesan toping! We ate the left overs straight from the fridge the next morning — even cold it was amazing!! Thanks!!!

A little late to the party, but just whipped this up and it is delish! the nut cheese is so simple but really adds that extra flavor. i overcooked my squash a little (story of my life) but don’t mind it a little squishy :) thanks for the great recipe!!

I loved this recipe! It will definitely be going into my regular winter food rotation. After my first serving I ended up doubling the almond, pecan, “parm” and kale topping. It probably upped the calories a decent amount but it was so good and so easy to make I knew I needed more immediately. First time using nooch too and it was so perfect. Thank you!

I love the 239 comments stating the obvious (OMG this looks SO GOOD I can’t wait to make it blah blah blah), but as someone who has actually made the recipe, my opinion matters at least 1,000,000x more. And with that introduction, let me say: it tastes even better than it looks. AMAZING! Thank you!

I made this dish last night and absolutly loved it! Even my husband who swore he didn’t like butternut squash (all he had ever had was soup) loved it and said “you can make this anytime you want!”. I love the flavor that the kale adds, and I honestly do love recipes where the hardest part was trying to cut through the squash!

I’m making your “Roasted Butternut Squash with Kale and Almond Pecan Parmesan” recipe tonight. I found it on Pinterest, which I find very addicting. It looks so yummy. I can’t wait to see how it turns out. I will let you know. :)

Ha! I just made this for the first time and added the Field Roast vegan sausage to it to make it a meal! Then while i was having the last bite i read your comment! Great minds and all. Once again a flawless recipe. Leftovers may or may not make it to tomorrow’s lunch, or boyfriend’s dinner :)

We had a guest this evening who is a Vegan. I searched the web and found this recipe. Wow!!! We were ALL amazed at how delicious it was…even our two year old ate it up! I am looking forward to trying other recipes on your site! Thanks!!

I didn’t have butternut squash and kale but I did have acorn squash and broccoli and this recipe worked great with those components as well! Even my 2 year old and meat-loving husband loved it! Thank you!

Last month, I had a vegan friend over for dinner, and had stumbled upon this wonderful recipe! IT WAS DELICIOUS!!! I am making it again tonight and can’t wait! Thankfully we can get butternut squash in July!! LOL Thanks!

I made this last night and it was divine. I’m going to try very hard not to over make it, which is often what I do when I find a great recipe, and this website is FULL of recipes that I over-make because they’re all so great! I just happened to stumble onto this recipe from a picture off to the side of your site that filters through with a series of others. To find it again without scanning the entire recipe index, I googled the key words that I remembered from reading the recipe. I was wondering where it lives on your website so that I can easily pull it up on my iPad since I don’t have a printer. Same question with your broccoli cheese soup.
Angela, everything I’ve tried on your website is amazing. I really appreciate the effort you put into this. We all benefit greatly from your healthy, delicious foods, and incredible play by play photos. Beautiful! Thanks a million.

I made this tonight. My roommate generally hates greens and was highly skeptical but ended up really loving it. That nut/cheese topping is amazing. I didn’t have any nutritional yeast so I used vegan parm. It’s definitely a keeper and so easy to make.

OMG! Just made this last night and it is Amazing! It will become a regular at my house. My son stopped by and made himself a small bowl and liked it so much he took the serving spoon and started eating right out of the casserole dish! I doubled the garlic, cause we love garlic, but other than that didn’t change a thing. Delicious! Thanks so much for sharing.

i made this last night…. the kale dried out and was delicously crispy… i didnt use the nutritional yeast and i used coconut oil instead of olive oil which gave it a sweet flavour… very tasty i will make this again

I don’t like squash as a rule, but I wanted to diversify my diet, so I decided to give it another go. This is awesome! I left out the nutritional yeast and I used blanched almond flour instead of grinding whole almonds. I’ll definitely be making this again! Thank you for sharing!!

I just made this recipe out of your cookbook, but found it online so I can easily share with my friends. It was soooo delicious! Amazing how much the nutritional yeast and roasted nuts can add such a complex flavor. I never knew I could enjoy squash and kale so much.

Hello,
Is it possible to eliminate the oil in this recipe? I know that sounds odd, but for dietary reasons, I need to eliminate oils. Just curious if you have any ideas/suggestions. Many thanks for the great recipes you share on the site!

Hi, Thanks for the heads-up! It’s challenging for us because we can’t see ads that display in other countries so I appreciate your comment. We block hundreds of advertisement categories (from meat to fast food to diet and weight loss ads…and SO many more!), but occasionally our providers let them slide through due to poor categorization. Anyway, we will look into this and try to find the ad to remove it. Thanks so much!

This looks incredibly delicious! One week ago my best friend came my house to met me. So that time I was very exited. Then instantly I remembered you and the recipe I cooked which I saved. Both me, my husband and my friend were felt very happy to eat and I promised her again I will make it. So thank you Angela for share such a beautiful recipe. Thank you so much.

I love your cooking and your cook books! We have enjoyed and shared so many of your recipes. I am wondering if I can make this the day before thanksgiving and heat it up the next day after the turkey comes out? If so, what temp. would you recommend reheating it at. Thank you! Les

Hey Leslie, I haven’t tried this myself, but I think it’s a great idea (and a time-saver is always a good thing on the big day!). This is what I would probably do if I was going to try it out:
The day before: Bake the squash covered, as directed (I think it mentions up to 45 minutes, but you may want to bake it for a bit less time to account for the reheating time the next day). Then I would take it out of the oven and let it cool and then pop it (covered) in the fridge overnight.
The next day I would let it sit on the counter for 15 minutes just so the dish isn’t super cold when going into the oven.
Then I would toss it with the kale and bake it for 10 to 15 minutes. Then remove it from the oven, and sprinkle on the parmesan. Bake it uncovered as directed. I’m not positive that the squash would be heated through with these reheating bake times, but I would suggest checking a couple pieces to make sure they are heated through. Does this make any sense? I hope so! :) Let me know if you try anything out. Happy Thanksgiving!
PS- I have a Thanksgiving panzanella recipe coming to the blog tomorrow, which coincidentally, is also make-ahead! Sounds like we’re on the same wavelength.

This recipe is genius. The butternut squash on the counter had sadly expired, so we used a huge garnet yam. It worked perfectly. I followed your lead from Instagram and sautéed some kale on the side (with a few shiitakes). We served it with quinoa cooked with red pepper flakes. Dinner was heavenly. The pecan/almond “parmesan” was such a great addition. This is an awesome fall dinner!!

I’m so glad I was able to find this again on pinterest! I lost my recipe from last year, and this was absolutely my favorite recipe for fall/winter. Absolutely delicious. Bonus that it’s vegan (I am not a vegan but I limit meat and animal products). If you haven’t tried this, you absolutely must. So happy it will be on our Thanksgiving table!

How would you use frozen precooked butternut squash? Do you just cook it like in the recipe? I’m afraid it will overcook but understand that it needs baking to blend the flavors. Also, your cookbook and blog is my fave! thanks!

Hey Mary, Thank you so much for your kind words about my blog and books. :)
Frozen pre-cooked squash is a tricky one. I threw some into soup the other day and realized it turned to mush within minutes. I’m not sure if it would work for this casserole or not? If you try anything please let me know how it goes.

I am so excited to try this, but I’m the only kale-ivore in my house. We have brussel sprouts still poking out of the snow and I’m planning to add some of those. Roasted brussels are a fave- especially with salt and oil. So, the question is at what point should I add the brussels? I’ve got it all prepped and ready to go for tonight’s meal- yum, I hope!

Hey Alison, I love my brussels nice and crispy and browned so I would probably add them in with everything else, at the beginning. That said, the butternut may make them soggy. Another idea would be to pan-fry the brussels and simply stir them into the completed dish.

Hey Shannon, I’m happy to help always! In the recipe ingredient list you’ll see “For the Almond-Pecan Parmesan” — this is the vegan parm recipe. You can double the amounts called for if desired. As written it makes about 1/2 cup.

The title of this recipe is slightly different in the cookbook. It is Fall Harvest Butternut Squash with Almond-Pecan Parmesan on page 209. I have made this recipe at least 3 or 4 times. I like to serve it with a vegan loaf or I add it to baby greens with quinoa to make a hearty salad. It is so delicious either way!!! Thank you Angela for another great recipe.

I just made this for the first time tonight. I used most of a bunch of kale – way more than 1 cup, and I put it in with the squash from the beginning because I wasn’t paying attention. Then since we aren’t vegan and I wanted it as a one bowl dinner I stirred in some roasted turkey breast before I added the nut topping. (I don’t love cheese and my husband doesn’t love nutritional yeast, so we compromised – I made it as written and told him to top his bowl with some fresh grated parm.) All told, it was AWESOME! I just licked the serving spoon clean :) We will definitely be making this again, maybe as a side at thanksgiving??